


An Unexpected Dinner

by iWantMyDrumfredBack (BornBlue)



Series: Drummond Is Not Dead [17]
Category: Victoria (TV)
Genre: Because as you can see Drummond is not dead, Drumfred, Edward Drummond Lives, It's good to have friends and Drumfred needs them, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, We knew Alfred was a fan, and it seems like every Paget loves him in one way or another, and now Henry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 01:24:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14759933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BornBlue/pseuds/iWantMyDrumfredBack
Summary: Drummond receives a surprising invitation.





	An Unexpected Dinner

The next afternoon at the House, Drummond was hurrying through the halls to find Sir Robert. Party dynamics were changing by the hour, and he needed to apprise the Prime Minister of new alliances he had learned about. He was deep in thought, trying to work out all the implications; _politics does indeed make for strange bedfellows_ , he mused to himself. In the midst of his preoccupation, he heard someone call to him.

 

“Drummond!”

 

He looked around, surprised by the voice he couldn’t immediately place, and saw Lord Henry Paget making his way toward him.

 

“Lord Henry! Sir, what a pleasure to see you again.”

 

“The pleasure is all mine, young man. It was fine to meet you last night, but we didn’t have much opportunity to get acquainted, I’m afraid.”

 

“No, no, I’m afraid we did not. I hope we can rectify that sometime.” Edward didn’t want to be rude—especially not to Alfred’s father—but he was feeling rather rushed at the moment. “I do apologize, sir; I’m afraid I must find the Prime Minister immediately. I trust we may meet again soon.” He gave him a short bow and began to turn away.

 

“Perhaps as soon as tonight? I should like you to be my guest for dinner. Would you dare be seen at Brooks’s?”

 

Drummond was taken aback. He liked Alfred’s father quite a lot, but it didn’t seem they had much in common. Not enough, anyway, to spend a whole dinner in conversation. And yet, he found Lord Henry's company enjoyable and could think of no good reason to refuse.

 

“I would be delighted, sir."

 

“Excellent! Seven o'clock?"

 

"That will be fine, sir, thank you."

 

"I will see you then.” Paget nodded his head decisively, and then turned and walked with surprising alacrity in the opposite direction.

 

 

 

__________

 

 

Mindful of making a good impression on Alfred's father, Edward managed to arrive at Brooks’s promptly at the appointed time. Of course, he hadn’t beaten Lord Henry, who always seemed to arrive early wherever he went. As he was directed to the table, he was riddled with curiosity. Why on earth did the elder Paget want to spend a whole evening with only Drummond when they’d barely met and seemed to have so little in common?

 

“Sir,” he said as he took his seat, “thank you for inviting me, though I must confess to being a bit surprised.”

 

“Are you, my boy? Why?” Henry smiled in a way that put Edward right at ease; he somehow felt no need for pretense.

 

“Well, I don’t believe we have much in common, sir. We side with different parties, you’re a military man while I am not….”

 

“And I’m quite a bit older than you, aren’t I? Don’t be shy; I don’t mind if you were thinking it. I know I’m getting rather long in the tooth.”

 

“You seem very young to me, sir, at least in spirit.”

 

“Well, you are right about that, but you’re wrong that we don’t have much in common. On the contrary, we have something very important in common.” He paused and looked expectantly at Drummond. “My son.” Paget smiled, and his eyes lit up at the mention of his boy.

 

The reference to Alfred put a smile on Edward’s face as well. “Well, that is true, sir. Alfred has become a very good friend. I hold him in high regard.”

 

“Yes, I can tell that you do. He is very special to his mother and me. He gave us rather a scare as a very young man during the cholera outbreak. Barely avoided death. It’s made us even more sentimental about him.”

 

“I didn’t know that,” Edward felt a shiver up his spine, thinking how barren his life would have been--how much passion and joy he would have missed--if Alfred had died before they'd even met. "I understand why you would be.”

 

“Yes, I'm sure you do. I think you’re rather sentimental about him, too.”

 

Edward was confused. “I’m sorry. I don’t take your meaning…?”

 

“I love my son, Drummond. I know fathers aren’t really supposed to say that aloud, but I do so with pride. He seems to get along with everybody and brightens the mood wherever he is, he is brave, he appreciates beauty, he has a wonderful joie de vivre, but a good head on his shoulders as well. I think he’s quite remarkable. I believe you think so, too, yes?”

 

“Of course.” Edward did not grasp the point of the conversation, and looked at Lord Henry with perplexed indulgence as the waiter arrived. Even as he ordered, Drummond could feel Henry's eyes considering him carefully. If he hadn't given off such an air of affection, it would have been a bit disturbing.

 

Once they were alone again, he went on, “Alfred has always had different sensibilities from my other sons. He feels more deeply. He feels _for his friends_ more deeply. School friends, cavalry friends…. You understand?” He paused for a moment and looked at Drummond with an odd cross between curiosity and warmth.

 

Edward thought he understood, but wasn’t yet confident he knew what Henry’s intent could be. “I might, but I’m not entirely sure.”

 

Henry smiled and fixed his eyes resolutely on Drummond's. It was remarkable that he hadn’t really noticed until now that the shape of Henry’s eyes was exactly the same as Alfred’s. Only the color differed.

 

“When I left the army, Drummond, and began circulating more in the political realm, I noticed that many of my former colleagues seemed eager to find ever more ways to prohibit certain friendships between men.” Henry was studying him very carefully, as a card player might study his hand to determine a strategy. “It was not unheard of in the army for a man to have one special friend with whom he was particularly close. I saw this not infrequently. Some of my compatriots saw it, too, and found it threatening for reasons I find inexplicable. As a consequence, I’ve watched many of them agitate for barbaric punishments against men they did not wish to understand. Or come to think of it," he smirked ruefully, "perhaps they understood all too well. But I for one have never believed it is the government’s business—or anyone else’s, for that matter—to be concerned with how two perfectly mature people conduct themselves in private.”

 

He paused again and took a judicious sip of his whiskey. Edward almost couldn’t breath, thinking that he must not be understanding him. And yet, what else could Henry possibly mean?

 

“I am under the impression—and I'm not often wrong in such matters—that you are a very special friend to my son, and I suppose I’m telling you all of this because I want to be certain of your intentions.”

 

Of all the things Drummond might have expected from Lord Henry Paget, this was not one of them. Yet he felt somehow that he could trust him. There was such affection between he and Alfred—he had seen it last night when they were together, and even now he saw it in the way Henry’s eyes lit up when he spoke of his son. Surely, he could be confident Henry would never hurt them, couldn’t he?

 

“I’ve never had a better friend than Alfred. In fact, I’ve never been closer with anyone. I want only the best for him.”

 

“As I assumed.” Henry lowered his voice. “I noticed the way you look at each other. It reminded me most of Charlotte and myself, particularly in those early days when our feelings had to be hidden from others. I think I already know the answer, but I must ask whether you love him?”

 

Edward felt his cheeks flush and he looked down uncertainly at his hands. He’d only ever said so to Alfred and wasn’t sure he could speak it aloud to anyone else.

 

Henry added, “You may trust me with your feelings. I only want Alfred’s happiness, and I think you make him happy.”

 

Drummond looked up and met his eyes. "Do you think so? Really?"

 

Henry nodded reassuringly.  

 

“I hope you're right, sir. Yes. Yes, I do love him.”

 

It was like a weight lifted off his chest. To say those words to someone other than Alfred—to be able to express his honest emotions to this man he knew wanted only the best for them—was positively liberating. 

 

“Good,” Henry replied, as the waiter brought their plates. They smiled silently at each other until they were alone again. “I’m glad,” he continued, “and his mother will be, too. I assume you two are discreet?”

 

“Yes, sir, to the best of our ability, but matters are a bit complicated at the moment.” And Edward recounted the situation with the Duchess of Buccleuch and Miss Coke.

 

“Ah, well, that would explain the presence of the young lady last night; besides you, she’s the only one I’d never met. She was charming, but I couldn’t quite understand the connection. And I’d never been close to Colville, though he’s certainly a pleasant enough fellow. It seemed they were being pushed together a bit; now I understand why. I assume that’s part of some plot my son has devised?”

 

“Indeed it is. He hasn’t had much success yet in discouraging Miss Coke’s designs on him, but he’s trying.”

 

They laughed together, before Edward lowered his voice again. “I must ask, sir, about your attitudes. I’ve never heard anyone speak as you do. My parents would never have guessed my true feelings, and when I last saw them to explain why I’d broken my engagement, I certainly did not feel I could tell them everything. They are very dear to me, as I know you and your wife are to your son, but I'm sure they would have felt nothing but shock and disappointment had I told them the truth. And I couldn’t be confident that they wouldn’t somehow take it out on Alfred. I wonder how it is that you came to understand—and accept—this about him.”

 

Henry paused and put down his fork as he fixed his eyes on Edward with a sad and piercing gaze. “It is a lonely world at times, is it not? When those we love must be kept at arms’ length?”

 

It was as if Henry had looked into his heart... the same way he had wanted his parents to do during that awful interview. There was a lump in Edward’s throat and he blinked to keep the tears at bay.

 

“I can’t really tell you how we knew, to be honest,” Henry said. “Years of observation, perhaps? My wife and I—we’re both naturally keen observers. It’s part of how I commanded my men. I took the bother to notice them, find out who was having trouble and what I could do to make each struggling man a better soldier. Some of them grappled with just these sorts of feelings, and in those cases there was only so much I could do. But I tried to be a support and help them find happiness where they could—or simply peace in their hearts. And later, when Alfred was growing up, I noticed similar sentiments from him. He would develop very deep affections for young men he knew at school, and then in the guards. For a time we would hear the same name coming up in conversation constantly; this did not happen with young women he knew. And in fact, your name has appeared often in his letters. We suspected there was a special affection involved, and when I met you last night and saw how handsome you are... don't blush! As I said, Alfred appreciates beauty.... I was confident the attraction existed at least on his side. I wanted to know with certainty whether the feelings were requited, and you have set my mind at ease.”

 

“I’m very glad to have done so." Edward stopped raising the fork that was halfway to his mouth as a thought occurred to him. "Does Alfred know that you know?”

 

“I think he may have guessed some time ago, but we’ve never spoken of it directly. We probably should have, but I didn't feel anything was serious enough to warrant such a conversation until now. Between what I've gathered from Alfred and what I observed last night, this time it seemed important to know your disposition toward my son. I think you hold his heart in a way that is quite unprecedented. I need to know that you will care for it as diligently as his mother and I have."

 

Edward nodded earnestly, and they began eating again in silence until Henry broke in with another thought, "Oh, by the way, if the topic does come up between you, you needn't conceal this conversation. I'm not in the habit of keeping unnecessary secrets. In fact, I’ll tell him myself when I have the chance.”

 

Drummond was a jumble of emotions and couldn't seem to take another bite. "I’m afraid I’m rather envious. If I had the notion my parents might be able to know this and speak of it, and love me nonetheless, well...." He suddenly found his voice had disappeared, so the rest of his thought remained unspoken.

 

“To be fair to your parents, we've never been happy he was this way... though really only because of the challenges that attend it. Seems to me he never asked for this; it’s just the way he is. And were it to change, who’s to say all manner of other things about him wouldn’t change as well? I love my son as he is; I don't want him to be someone different. Besides, there are other children to carry on the family dynasty into the next generation. Perhaps we would feel differently if he were our only son. We have a certain luxury to be loving.”

 

“Still, it’s an extraordinary thing.”

 

“I suppose so, but you might recall that from the beginning of our love for one another, my wife and I have not always lived comfortably in society either. We were shunned for a time, my career suffered from the scandal, our families were outraged. I don’t think I mentioned last night that I was called out by her brother.”

 

“No,” Drummond replied in disbelief.

 

“I was. Thankfully, he's a dismal shot and I missed on purpose, so we both escaped unharmed and with honour restored. All this is to say that Lady Charlotte and I also loved where it was forbidden, and we know these matters of the heart cannot be dictated. Of course in our case, we faced nothing worse than personal and professional scandal—potentially ruinous, yes, but unfortunately, the law holds even harsher consequences for men like you and my son.There’s not much I can do to protect you from that, so I can only advise your care and caution. But perhaps it will help to know that I am at your service should my assistance be needed in any way.”

 

Drummond was nearly overcome with affection for this man who wore a version of Alfred’s eyes. “Sir, I cannot adequately express my gratitude. First Lady Harriet, now you—I feel fortunate to have true friends.”

 

“Harriet knows, does she?”

 

“Yes, apparently she guessed and Alfred confirmed it to her. She’s already been a great help to us.”

 

“Well, now, that explains a few other things from last night, and it is a comfort to know. The Duchess is a good ally to have on your side. She has resources, connections, and influence. Has Alfred ever told you the story of their first dancing lesson together?"

 

And for the rest of the dinner, Lord Henry shared with Drummond stories of Alfred’s childhood. It was most delightful. Edward could picture him, with his shining blond hair and his big blue eyes, acting the diplomat and social butterfly even as he stacked blocks and rode his hobby horses. He couldn’t stop smiling, thinking how adorable and precocious Alfred must have been, and hearing how deeply his parents loved him. He was envious of the Pagets' compassion and open affection, but happy, too, that he felt closer to Lord Henry than he’d ever imagined he would. The whole evening filled him with joy and hope.

 

Before they parted ways, the two men stood together outside the club while Henry waited for his carriage to pull around. He smiled gently at Drummond. “You have parents you love, as indeed you should. They’ve given you much and I've no doubt they love you deeply. But they are blind to some matters of the heart, through no fault of their own. I am truly sorry they cannot know all the ways in which you are a remarkable young man, but alas, that is the state of the world in which we live. Alfred knows, and now so do I, and soon his mother will as well. As long as you and my son remain dedicated to one another, you may count us as your other family."

 

It was all Edward could do to keep from bursting into tears right there on the city street. As the carriage came into view, Lord Henry patted him on the shoulder and said, “Until next time, Drummond,” and proceeded to reach out his hand. Edward shook it gratefully and, although he was choked up, managed to eek out, “Until next time. Thank you, sir. For everything.”

 

As the carriage pulled away, Paget’s hand was waving out the window. Drummond waved back, even though he knew he could not be seen. But his heart was too full not to respond. _How lucky am I to have the love of my life at my side, and his parents, too?_  And he set off for home, wiping his eyes and whistling to himself with happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
